In a city where racial conflict has a long and deadly past, disciples of Christ desire to show the world that with Jesus’ teaching, one does not have to see skin color.
In a recent story by WHBQ in Memphis,TN church leader Kevin Herman discusses being part of a raciallydiverse congregation. The norm in the “bluff city” is quite different.
The “Birthplace of Rock and Roll”, like most places in the southern United States, has churches only a stone’s throw from each other. Not only are they separated by denomination, but also by race. With over 2000 churches in and around the city, religion is as common as humid days are in August.
A Sunday drive around the city shows church parking lots full to capacity. And with a lot well meaning people who worship sincerely, the city has a foundation of faith. Religious leaders often come together to push social agendas that are, by biblical standards, good for the community. Family forums are established. Inter-denominational coalitions are formed. Calls for change are in no short order.
Yet, while churches abound, the effects of racism have marred the history of this area. It has been said by many that the racial tension here is the greatest of any major city in the U.S. This is why the leadership of the church has chosen to be more welcoming to the media than in the past. With the National Civil Rights Museum located in the hotel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, The Memphis Church strives to show the world that in the mixt of racial tension the message of the gospel, when lived out, can break the chains that separate.
Al Williford, The Memphis Church
posted by Jerry Maday